Washington DC Plane Crash: Officials said on Thursday that there are no survivors expected from the mid-air collision between an American Eagle Flight and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening.
DC Fire Chief John Donnelly said, “At this point, we do not believe there are any survivors from this accident.” Rescue teams have recovered over 30 bodies from the Potomac River.
The collision involved a PSA Airlines-operated American Airlines flight, which was en route from Wichita to National Airport. The flight had 60 passengers and four crew members aboard. The Army Black Hawk helicopter, on a training flight, carried three service members.
Dashcam Footage Captures Moment Black Hawk Helicopter Collides with American Airlines
The search and rescue operation began immediately after the collision, with divers working in the freezing temperatures and dark conditions of the snow-lined Potomac River. The operation has been described as one of the toughest in recent history, due to the severe weather, freezing temperatures, and dangerous conditions at the crash site.
"We will re-evaluate where we are with the rescue operation in the morning when we get a better sense of it," Donnelly said. "But we are still out there working, and we’re going to continue that throughout the night."
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser also addressed the challenges faced by rescue teams. "We're going to be out there as long as it takes. We're obviously trying to get to people as soon as possible, but we are going to recover our fellow citizens," Bowser said.
Donnelly described the conditions as “extremely rough,” with the water being about eight feet deep and scattered with pieces of ice. "The water that we’re operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind. There are pieces of ice out there. So it's just dangerous and hard to work in," Donnelly said.
Ronald Reagan National Airport is expected to reopen at 9:30 p.m. IST.
(With inputs from agencies)